Falcons tale
by Naxieus
Summary: FAlcon is betrayed when doing a task for the cowled wizards- some names and all of settings are copyright of black isle, forrgotten realms,and TSR - how ever the story is mine - Donald Scott Lewis of newfoundland.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter one The Sphere  
It was raining hard as the archmage Falcon left the government district that evening. The nerve of those cowled wizards he thought, Korenthia gave me the sphere before he died, but to fight the cowled wizards is to invite death so he just kept walking. Half way to the slums a cloaked man stepped out of the shadows. He was obviously wait for Falcon because the man looked as though as he been in the rain for hours. His black cloak was dripping water, his hair was drenched and stuck to his forehead, and at that moment he drew his sword. " Are you Falcon, the one who resides the sphere in the slums" the man said in a harsh wispy voice.  
"I may be who wants to know?" Falcon replied with a stern calm voice not wanting to sound intimidated, or too fierce.  
"My name is unimportant all you need to know is that I have come to kill you." The man said throwing his cloak open and drawing a shining two handed sword.  
"Oh is that so" replied Falcon his voiced deeper this time. He had left all weapons and equipment he had at the sphere not needing them for the council meeting even though now he wished he had them, for now he knew that politicians can cut as well as any sword. Alas, he didn't need weapons, he reached into a pouch of dust and surged power through this now raised his arm in from in side his cloak the dust began to sparkle like stars in the night and floating. But the man charged lowering his sword preparing to lunge. Falcon had already finished his spell when the tip of the sword was only two feet away from him. The man suddenly stopped in his tracks a grayish vine like rope had shot from Falcons hand and wrapped it's self around the man. The man fell to the ground with a splash the sword flung wide to the side and hit the muddy earth with a ring. Falcon walked over to the man and bent down.  
"Why did you attack me, and for what purpose," he snapped in the mans' ear.  
"I was paid to do it. I have kids, please don't kill me," the man whimpered  
"By whom, paid by whom?!" Falcon said heatedly almost yelling this time.  
"I dunno, a man approached me in a bar asked if I was interested in a deal. I said yes because my family will starve without the money, and a few weeks later I get a note by a messenger saying where to go and what to do." The man now half in tears said. "I don't get paid if I don't complete my task, I had to do it, for my children," The man now babbling Falcon realized the spell and helped him up.  
"How much where you getting paid?" he asked feeling sorry for the man now.  
"Around two hundred gold," the man said, wiping his eyes. Falcon reached into another small pouch on his belt and handed the man a green emerald.  
"Here, take this and feed your children, also promise me you won't do this again, ok?" said falcon, turning to leave.  
"Yes sire if you ever need anything you can call on Caleb O'Brill." With hearing this Falcon continued through the muddy streets of the city gates.  
  
* * *  
  
The rain had stopped by the time Falcon had reached the promenade. It was a large structure shaped almost like a coliseum, but inside the walls were littered with doors of different shops, homes, and a temple instead of seats for watching gladiators. Falcon came into the outer ring through an arch to face the promenade on the western side. As he walked in he saw a shopkeeper to his right yelling at the crowd "Hand Made daggers!" repeatedly. He walked over and bought one of the daggers and slid it into a pouch on his belt that was way too small to hold it. Unfortunately the man selling the daggers saw this. "By the heavens above" the storekeeper said," how on earth did you do that mate?"  
All eyes on him, Falcon simply said that the pouch was enchanted so that the space in side was a lot bigger than the outside.  
The man looked at him for a moment then said " Well then I bet that cost a pretty penny, say where did you get it?" He said with a devilish smile "I can't remember all I know is that I bought enough for everyone that had traveled with Me." and with that Falcon gave his thanks for the dagger and began to walk down the street to the entrance of the promenade. As he went, he stopped to look at a fountain modeled after a waterfall; the water was swept down a river then went over the fall and disappeared in a mist. He noticed how the water reflected the sun which was now lowering in the west. Walking now into a great arch that held designs through out it, of lions, griffins, and other sorts of animals. The promenade was crowed in certain areas more than others. Falcon started off from the arch at quicken pace he quickly cross the promenade towards the left wall and went down a small set of stairs an entered a musty, crowed room above the door hung a half hearted sign saying "The adventure-mart". Falcon browsed through the tables full of bows and arrows, swords, armor of leather, chain, and steel, daggers, darts, vial, items for potions and more. Falcon picked up three bundles of darts. These darts however were made out vial that could hold poisons, and other agents. Falcon bought the vial with what remaining gold he had left a put the darts carefully into the pouch on his belt, and left. A dark and cold night had fallen by that time as Falcon set off for his home in the athlankan slums.  
* * * * Falcon proceeded up the steps to the house that was merged with the planar sphere. He opened the door and what he saw would have given any normal man a heart attack. He saw was a structure merged with the house where the kitchen would be and a ramp that lead out side to the great yellow sphere merged with the platform after the stairs. Falcon walked up the stairs two at a time. Walking steadily on to the platform and passed through the door that lead out on to the platform which seemed to magically grow from the sphere. Falcon hauled out a ward stone from his green and black robes. He touched it off the sphere with a magical ripple that washed over the sphere of multiple colors which showed that his wards were disarmed and in sequence a piece of the sphere sunk in and slid across allowing Falcon access to the familiar passage ways of his home. The first corridor was long and cold being made of granite. He continued up the corridor until he reached a round stone room. The room had a dark stone floor; the light seemed to come from nowhere obviously magical as it flickered now and then to make a different pattern on the wall. In the room there were three large circular metal doors with a metal wheels attached. Falcon walked to the center door and turned the wheel there was a click and falcon hauled out on the door and it, sled open. Inside was another dark corridor at the end of the hall was another room, but this one was different. Inside the room was a series of cupboards that held food and drink, a wooden set table and chairs, on the table was a bowl of fruit and number candles that supplied the light for the room. Sitting at the table was a man writing in a large tome with runes along the cover. He was bald with a white mustache in purple robe, his wrinkled face stern with concentration. Falcon sneaked up behind the man and but before he was able to spook the man, the man started to speak.  
"Don't even try it falcon!" said the man his dark skin more stern than when he was writing. "So" he continued "what did the council and the wizards want?"  
"What they wanted was the sphere" he said quietly  
"WHAT?!" the man exclaimed "You heard me, Raven" said Falcon trying to keep calm. "Did they give you a choice, because I don't think the bunch of us could take on the cowled wizards. For Helm's sake their an army of powerful wizards. Sure Teza, you and I could take out our share but even we have our limits, and as much as I hate to say this the others are pretty much useless in that scenario."  
"Slow down we're not fighting them. We are though going to humor them for the moment." he cut off Raven.  
"Like?" Raven asked "As all of know" he began "last night I attended a meeting with the council and a member of the cowled wizards, and... they... they want us to hand over the sphere." Falcon saw that most of his companions were going to say something but he raised his hand to silence them. "But, I struck a deal with both the council, and the wizards. In order to keep living here we must do a few jobs for the wizards."  
"Like what." asked Tarzin  
"Well" said Falcon "I already know what the first task is. It is to train apprentices."  
"How many?" asked Teza  
"Three, one for each of the mages that resides in the sphere, well that's how they put it last night." Falcon answered "and..." he with a cold voice "they'll be here at noon." Falcon continued to tell the group how the apprentices were going to be trained. With this Falcon walked out of kitchen and through the passage that lead him to the first room in the sphere. From here he turned right and opened another large circular door. Inside was a metal grated floored room with gray brick walls. The light in the room had no source; it was like moon light that seemed to come out of nowhere which gave the armory an eerie look. Littered along the circular wall were a number of cupboards, one for each of his group. He walked over to one of the cupboards that was about a foot above Falcon and bore his insignia. With a wave of his hand the doors unlocked. He opened the doors of the old cabin net, and examined the contents. Inside was lit from the number of enchanted items, there was: a wooden staff that gave off a blue aura, in a shelf in the corner in a holder were two almost identical rings except for the runes on them, also on the shelf were many different potions, next to the staff was a bone dagger made from a tooth of a dragon, and the last item in the cupboard was a shoulder strap that held a number of darts. He finished and withdrew the case that held his rings and his staff. Just as he had slipped the rings into his pocket he received a mental message from Swift "open a window." With a wave of his hand he opened a magical window to the sunny outside, his burned at the sudden increase in light. He squinted and listened for the ruffle of wings that was Swift, and then closed the window.  
"So what did the cowled wizards want after all?" Swift questioned which falcon told him about the apprentices and that there would most likely be more tasks for them to do when Teza walked in.  
"Swift if you could get Jackle and Night they're in the cavern tell them to come to the entrance room as well as Raven" she said to the Eagle, whom flew off. "I thought I'd find you here" she said and handed him a rolled up piece of parchment which had portrayed the council's coat of arms.  
"What's this?" Falcon asked her.  
"Read it and find out" she answered him and he did. "What does it says?" Teza asked  
"It says" he replied "that the apprentices will be teleporting in by noon and to be waiting in the front room of the Planar Sphere." That gives us and half hour to prepare for what were going to teach them for today what do you think we should do?" He asked Teza  
"familiars!" she said excitedly " sense they're just learning they probably don't have one yet and they are a key part to being a mage, plus jackle has wanted to get to the forest for awhile we haven't been outside a city in months. Its not a place for wolves."  
"I know swift has been craving fish, that's propbly a bad part of being link telepathically you sense what they want and there emotions" he said" but I love swift just the same. By the way do you have a familiar spell scroll because chances are they don't know the spell?"  
"Yeah I have one I'll get it in a minute. Are you going back up to your room? If you are prepare some defensive and offensive spells you never know even in the forest it is a good place for bandits and thieves." she told him "but there's nothing like a romantic walk in the forest, is there?"  
"Well... no" said falcon turning a slight shade of red being completely unprepared for the question. "No need to get embarrassed love" she said as she leaned in a kissed him. Falcon saw this coming and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. The kiss lasted not a moment then she pulled away from him and said "well, I have to prepare some spells we'll continue this later" she said in his ear. She turned to leave and he followed her outside she signaled to Jackle her wolf familiar to her side, likewise he called Swift to his shoulder and followed her on his way trough the kitchen he sent a telepathic message to Swift. "Swift" he said "go back and wait for the wizards, when they get here send me word" with a clip on falcon hairless cheek and was gone. Falcon continued to follow Teza until she entered a room a door from his own. He continued onto his own and entered. Upon entering he lit a set of candles which sat on his wooden desk and grabbed his spell book off the desk and sat on his double bed and began to memorize spells. Spells that would turn his flesh as hard as stone; make any magical attack on him void, and another one to protect him from enchanted weapons. Then he got the message from Swift. "My lord" trying not to interrupt Falcons concentration "They're here." 


	2. The apprentices

Chapter Two The apprentices Falcon proceeded through the kitchen and into the entrance room. Inside he was met by Swift, Teza and her familiar Jackle, and Raven and his familiar Night whom was a Crow. Swift landed on his shoulder then four people turned to face him. A mage in red robes turned to him and smiled. "Hello" the mage said " my name is Theo's and I will be... well monitoring you while you do your tasks for the cowled ones. These are the apprentices" now turning toward the apprentices he pointed to a tall women in blue robes with fiery red hair on the right. "This is Naria" His finger continued down the line to the man in the middle who wore violet robes and had brown hair around the same height as Naria. " This is Morul and last but not least this is Larz" pointing to a smaller mage on the far left who had a green robe on and was looking kind of nervous. "Now you all know each other I must be going, good day" with this he threw some gem dust into the air and teleported away.  
"Well hello you three" said Falcon "Now that your here I'll show you to your rooms and then I'll let you prepare some spells before we teleport out to the forest where you are going to cast a familiar spell any questions?"  
"No" they all said in harmony.  
"Well then this is Teza" Falcon said pointing a hand towards Teza smiled and gave a nod  
"And this is Raven my mentor and they and they're familiars will be joining us." he said pointing to Raven whom also gave a half hearted nod.  
"Now I have some things to attend to. Raven if you could give them the tour I will be in my room."  
Falcon walked back threw the sphere to the work shop the furnace gave off heat as he walked by and grabbed a sack off the wall and pulled out cauldron which he poured water in and laid on top of the furnace and went up stairs sat on his bed and prepared the most deadly of offensive spells. When he was done grabbed the sack from which he took from the workshop and laid his spell book along with the darts he bought in the adventure mart in his backpack and went back down to the work shop. Once there he took the sack and dumped the contents inside the cauldron and it began to turn a greenish. He took his pack and opened it and laid all the darts out on the bench, and grabbed a pair of gloves from the wall, and put them on. He walked over to the cauldron and took it off the furnace and began to fill the darts with the toxic substance. When he was about half done He heard a voice behind him it was Zygal "What's in that it smells horrible." he said  
"Its Wolfs Bane" Falcon Replied "you know poison."  
"Well then those darts are going to be deadly." Zygal said " So who they for."  
"I thought I'd give them to the apprentices" Falcon replied " say go and get the apprentices and the then go to the Copper Cornet and get three of those shoulder belts."  
"Ok. Hand over the cash" he said as Falcon handed him a couple of ruby's and an emerald. Zygal left the room and Falcon called after him. "Hurry and I want the change." A few minutes later the apprentices came in just as falcon finished filling the darts with the poisonous liquid. "Ok see these bundles of darts of 40 each" at that moment Zygal came through the door. "Here Falcon I have them." Zygal said  
"Good hand them out, then I need you to go and get Raven and Teza to come here while tell the others to get there gear, and meet us in the entrance." said Falcon leaning on his staff. "Now each of you fill your shoulder belts and be careful"  
"Why what is in these darts." said Naria" It almost looks like Wolfs bane, but surely can't be serious..." she stopped there with the last dart, she knew she was right by the look on Falcons face.  
"You seem somewhat surprised. Sure if you get in trouble you have your spells, but you need to be deadly for they run out." with those words from Falcon.  
"I understand. "Said Naria  
"I'm glad you do." said Falcon "Now go and get any gear you need, and meet us in the kitchen for lunch." with this the apprentices walked up the spiral stair case. "Well love what do you think of our guests?" said Teza walking over to 


End file.
